This invention relates to sources of very high intensity pulsed electron and/or positive ion beams having pulse durations in the order of microseconds, and in particular to explosive generators adapted to the purpose.
Flash X-ray machines are commonly used to produce high intensity pulsed electron beams. However, these sources have certain intensity limits and they are generally incapable of sustaining pulse durations in the order of microseconds. They are usually driven by capacitive current sources such as coaxial Blumleins.
Explosive generators provide an alternative source of high intensity pulsed electric power. The following periodical articles describe in detail devices of this type and together these articles represent the current state of the art of explosive generators.
Production of Very High Magnetic Fields by Implosion, C. M. Fowler et al, Journal of Applied Physics 31 (1960) p. 588 et seq.
Explosive-Driven Magnetic Field Compression Generators, J. W. Shearer et al, Journal of Applied Physics 39 (1968) p. 2102 et seq.
Megagauss Fields Generated in Explosive-Driven Flux Compression Devices, F. Herlach and H. Knoepfel, Review of Scientific Instruments 36 (1968) p. 1088 et seq.
Explosively-Driven High Energy Generator, J. C. Crawford and R. A. Damerow, Journal of Applied Physics 39 (1968) p. 5224 et seq.
Explosive generators of this type are the most powerful source available for microsecond pulses of electrical energy. They are also inexpensive to construct. However, their usefulness is sometimes limited because, to date, explosive generators operate efficiently only when driving ordinary electrical currents into inductive loads.
The present invention is a further development of the explosive generator that utilizes a gas plasma and permits the high energies available in explosives (on the order of 1 MJ per pound) to be coupled directly to ion acceleration.